EUROPE
LAND
30 Sep 09. A ten-year munitions deal worth up to £205m will help secure supplies of ammunition to British troops. The arrangement between BAE Systems and Rheinmetall Nitrochemie is for the supply of propellant used in producing ammunition. Rheinmetall Nitrochemie has worked closely with BAE Systems for eight years, supplying propellants and combustible cartridge components. During this period significant investment has been made to establish World Class production capabilities in support of BAE Systems requirements. Signing of the new 10 year supply agreement under
MASS extends this relationship for the future. Rheinmetall Nitrochemie will supply propellant and combustible charge cases for artillery, mortar and tank ammunition to BAE Systems’ facility at Glascoed in South Wales. Propellant for small arms ammunition will be delivered to its Radway Green factory in Cheshire. The Rheinmetall Nitrochemie Group is jointly owned by Rheinmetall AG of Germany and RUAG of Switzerland. Rheinmetall Nitrochemie’s core competencies include the development and production of propellants and propelling charges for military and civil applications. Besides charge systems and propelling powder for small-, medium- and large-calibre ammunition, the company makes combustible cast parts, e.g. for Rheinmetall’s modular propelling charge system, the MCS. With locations in Aschau, Germany and Wimmis, Switzerland, Rheinmetall Nitrochemie is simultaneously the Propellants Division of the Dusseldorf-based Rheinmetall Defence, whose 9,000 employees generate annual sales of €1.9bn.
30 Sep 09. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the UK MoD for an improved version of its go-anywhere BvS10 Viking armoured vehicle. The company will deliver 24 of the vehicles, known as the BvS10 Viking Mark II, to the MoD in early 2010 so that they can be deployed to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010. The contract, worth up to 24m, includes fitting a range of urgent operational requirement modifications for service in Afghanistan. Twenty-two of the vehicles will be the troop-carrying variant and two will be in command vehicle configuration.
Lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan have resulted in several improvements including levels of protection, a larger and more powerful engine, and a bigger alternator which gives more electrical power. The steering unit has also been improved along with uprated suspension and brakes. The Mk II still retains the same load-carrying capacity as the original vehicle. The modifications are based on experience gained from more than 25 years of articulated vehicle design and production in Ornskoldsvik.
25 Sep 09. General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $24 million contract to supply Commanders Remote Operated Weapons Stations, version two, (CROWS II) kits to the U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command.
The CROWS II is a remote-control weapon system that provides the soldier
with the ability to acquire and engage targets from inside the protection of an armored vehicle. It is designed to mount on a variety of military
platforms.
SEA
28 Sep 09. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Pittsfield, Mass., is being awarded $152,818,728 cost-plus-incentive fee contract for FY 2010 and FY 2011 production and deployed systems support for the United States and United Kingdom SSBN fire control system (FCS) and the SSGN Attack Weapon Control System (AWCS), including training and support equipment. In addition, this contract includes the FY 2010 and FY 2011 U.S. and UK Sea Based Strategic Deterrent (SBSD) Strategic Weapons System (SWS) Fire Control Subsystem efforts necessary for the concept development, prototyping, and initial design efforts for a common missile compartment (CMC), prior to and following, the initiation of a ACAT 1D program for the SSBN and SSGN OHIO Class replacement. This contract will therefore provide annual and other periodic procurements of support equipment and